joefriday

Just here to say hello and offer advice based on experience with most of the products that have been mentioned in this thread. I have two boys, ages 3 and 5. I like the zebco pond patrol/splash combos for them, and they like 'em too. These are toy class combos, but the reel is better than that offered by Shakespeare. They have metal gearing. They float too, and that's why they have these. My youngest dropped a non floating rod in the lake last year and it was gone before I could react. Traumatized the poor boy. He eventually dropped the splash combo this year, and it floated as advertised. No drama makes for a good fishin' trip. The dock demons, both spinning and spincast, are great. The rods are so much fun. plenty of videos out there to watch. I own both types. Be aware: the reel on the spincast demon is not a 202. It is similar in construction, but is smaller. It is actually the exact same reel built into the kids' splash combos, but is unique in that the demon reel is removable for upgrades. of the two, the spinner is better. The spincast will snag line in the drag or under the bell with frequent/prolonged use. this is simply due to the design and can affect the 202 and 404 alike, as the design is identical. It is easy to fix in the field, but something to consider. I keep my spincast demon in the trunk of my car for spontaneous fishing when the mood strikes after a day of work. It is handy in that it can slide around in the trunk for months and never bird nest, something a spinner would have issues with. The 202 and 404 are larger reels and therefore handle larger fish more reliably and handle more line length. The 404 also has a few features that or more gimmick than useful. Otherwise, the construction is the same as the demon/kids reels. These are not zebco 33s. The 33 is a more complex reel. It is smoother and has at least one bearing or 3, depending on the version of 33. My wife has a standard 33 6ft rod combo and it is a very nice reel for a cheap spincast for casual use. I fish with a zebco 404 combo, and a zebco 202 slingshot spinner combo for planned fishing trips. For the price they are unbeatable. no issues with either for lake fishing, where the vast majority of fish are sub-pound blue gill and the bass/cat are usually 3lb and under. I'm sure either will hand the rare 5-10lb cat, but if I were targeting fish of this weight as primary game, I would recommend the 808 spincast, the 33, or simply something outside of the entry level zebco line. Hope you find this info useful.